Return of the Phoenix
by boit62283
Summary: Harry's sixth year was probably the best yet worst that he has ever lived through. See how Harry will deal with the events that unfolded on the Astronomy tower. Will he keep his feelings for Ginny alive?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

In a dark upstairs bedroom in Little Whinging, a teenager slept tossing and turning in his bed. Every night for the past few weeks, the boy would see images flashing through his mind that would always remind him of the tragedies that have been brought into his life. This teen is not like most others that have grown up in the world. This young man has experienced more hurt and pain than anyone should ever have to experience in a lifetime. Every night, this young man is bombarded by images of both friends and family who have all died so that he alone may live. The scene that has always awoken the young man was that of his friend and mentor being murdered by one of the few people he trusted the most. As the green light passes through the old man, the teen would always wake up with sweat beading on his forehead. This night was no different.

Like all the previous nights, the young man sat up in bed with his jet-black hair matted to his head with sweat. This is the only time when his hair would even appear to be combed down. When anyone else would see him, his hair would appear to be in a mess while he ruffled it to make it stand up even more. As for now, his hair was laying slick to his head with beads of sweat forming on his forehead. All that anyone would be able to make out about the young man were his bright emerald green and a lightning bolt shaped scar just above his right eye. Nightmares are nothing new to Harry Potter, but none have been this vivid since the end of his fifth year when he watched his own Godfather fall though the mysterious veil in the Department of Mysteries. Even after that incident, the nightmares only lasted for a month or two before they fell away. But now with the death of his headmaster, all his dreams have returned to him once more.

Waking up in the early morning hours has become a routine for Harry. Once he has been startled from his sleep, Harry knew that he would not rest again. As Harry shook himself awake, he reached for his glasses and put them on. Now that Harry could see the room with clarity, he noticed that Hedwig was not on her usual perch by the window. Figuring that she has gone out to hunt, Harry walked over to his small desk and turned the desk light on. As Harry sat down, he grabbed one of his photo albums and started turning through the pages. This album was always one of Harry's favorites that he would look through. This one kept all of the pictures of him and his two best friends. Pictures going back to their first year, Harry simply smiled as he looked at how Ron and Hermione had grown up with him. Harry silently relived all of the different memories that were captured on film. Harry's first quidditch victory, Hermione sitting at a table working on her studies, and Harry and Ron sitting at a table playing wizard's chess. Harry also had pictures of them from the fourth year just before the Yule Ball when everyone was in their dress robes. At the end of the album, there was always one picture that Harry would always look at longer than he would the others. Harry would silently watch as the picture of Ginny would always look at him with her soft eyes and wave while she smiled. Harry would always wonder if he made the right choice in telling Ginny that the two of them could not be together. Harry knew that he would always love her, but that is why he knew that he should stay as far away from her as possible. By the two of them being together, Harry felt that he would only be putting Ginny in grave danger and he could not handle the guilt if anything should happen to her. Every night, Harry would constantly tell himself that what he did was for the best if it kept her safe.

A soft nibble on Harry's finger brought him back from his thoughts. Harry looked down to see a white owl sitting on his desk beside his hand. Harry reached up to softly rub the feathers behind Hedwig's head.

"Hey girl. I hope that you can sleep better than I can." Hedwig reached her leg up to reveal a small letter attached to it. "What's this girl? I didn't know that you had a letter." Harry reached over to grab the letter. Once the letter was off of Hedwig's leg, she fluttered up to Harry's shoulder where she softly nibbled on his ear. "It's ok, I'll be fine." Harry opened the letter to reveal Ginny's handwriting.

_Harry,_

_It's kind of strange. I was looking for one of our owls to send this letter to you when Hedwig appeared in my window. I was too surprised at first until I noticed that there wasn't a letter with her. Perhaps she just knew that I would be writing to you._

_I just wanted to write to see how you were doing. I know that it has only been a week since I have seen you, but this has been a very long week. I know that you said that you didn't want to take our relationship any further than what it was, and I understand that, but it has just been hard without you with me. I don't know if it is the right thing to say, but you are always on my mind and in my heart...Please don't forget that. You need to understand that I would follow you to hell and back if it meant that we would be happy together, but I will not press that matter any further. I am actually writing to let you know that Bill and Fleur's wedding is set to take place on Saturday here at The Burrow. I have talked to dad and he is connecting The Dursley's house to the floo network tomorrow so that you can come here early if you want to. It will remain open through Saturday morning just in case. I truly hope that you will be here Friday, but if not I also understand. Until we see each other again, goodbye._

_Always Yours, Ginny_

Harry slowly reread the letter that Ginny had written to him as tears fell from his eyes. No matter what Harry told himself about Ginny, he knew that deep down she would always be by his side. Harry just couldn't shake the thought that he would only be leading Ginny to her death, and he loved her too much for him to do that. How could he tell Ginny that it was only for her protection that she should stay away? Harry chuckled to himself at that thought which caused Hedwig to give him a questioning look.

"You know what's funny? Everyone has done nothing but try to protect me in one way or another and all of their attempts have failed. No matter how hard anyone has tried, Voldemort has always found a way to me. So with that thought, why should I think that I could possibly protect Ginny from him? If Voldemort has found his way to me despite the heavy protection, what is to say that he cannot do the same to Ginny whether I am there or not?" Hedwig gave a soft hoot and nestled back in to Harry's shoulder.

As Harry sat by his desk in thought, his eyes slowly started to slide shut. Harry slowly got to his feet and put Hedwig back on her perch for to sleep, and he crawled back in bed. With thoughts of seeing Ginny again tomorrow, Harry closed his eyes for the last bit of peaceful sleep that he could get before the Dursley's woke up. For once, nightmares did not enter into Harry's dreams. This time, all Harry saw was Ginny smiling at him while she silently waved her hand.

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Harry slowly opened his eyes as the sunlight shone through his bedroom window. Although it wasn't very bright out just yet, it was enough to wake the sleeping teenager up. As Harry sat up in bed and put his glasses on, he heard a constant pounding on the floor that could only mean that someone was making their way towards the room that he slept in. As Harry set his feet on the ground to get out of bed, a loud banging noise erupted from his door.

"Potter! POTTER! Are you up yet?" Harry started to massage the sides of his head as a small throbbing sensation entered into his head. If only the pounding on the door would stop. Harry crossed the room as another series of bangs could be heard through his door. "Potter, do you hea-"

"YES! I always hear you and am always awake before you ever start to bang on the door!" Harry had thrown the door open just as his uncle was banging on it and caught him in mid sentence.

"You had better watch your tone with me boy. If it weren't for me and my family, you would have already been dead by now. The way I see it, you should be thanking us for our generous hospitality we have shown to you."

Harry couldn't help but grind his teeth as he listened to his uncle claiming to have supposedly kept him alive. How could this man get any dumber? As Vernon spoke, Harry unconsciously balled his hands into tight fists and kept them at his sides. There was no use letting his uncle see that he was making him mad.

"Do you honestly think that you have done anything in the years past that have kept me alive? Do you honestly think that you would even stand a chance against those who are really out to kill me? People who are much stronger than you have died to keep me alive, and you think that you have done anything more so than they have. How stupid do you think I am?" Just as Harry had got the words out of his mouth, his head was thrown violently to the side as Vernon backhanded him with all of his hate. Harry took a staggering step back from the force of the blow and kept his face looking down. Slowly, Harry reached a hand to his lip and noticed that there was blood on his fingers when his hand was lowered. This was the last straw.

When Harry looked back up at the man who had struck him, it was Vernon's turn to step back. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Vernon would swear that he saw tiny bolts of electricity within Harry's eyes. Before Harry said a word, a light breeze filled the room and the lights started to flicker on and off. Vernon's face had paled considerably since he had seen the look on Harry's face and knew that he had just made a terrible mistake. Vernon froze in his tracks when Harry spoke.

"That, Vernon, will be the last time you ever lay a hand on me again." The tone of Harry's voice could freeze water with its iciness. Although Harry spoke just above a whisper, it rang volumes in Vernon's ears. Harry took a small step toward the man standing in front of him before he said another word. "If you ever lay another hand on me again, I will kill you." Vernon mouth opened and closed as if he were trying to say something and words just wouldn't come out. Before Vernon could utter another word, the wind in the room picked up a little and slammed the door in Vernon's face. Once the door was closed, Harry collapsed on the floor as small tears fell from his eyes.

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It was just past noon and Harry has been slowly packing the last of his belongings into his trunk when a soft knock was heard on the door. Thinking it strange that someone would actually knock on his bedroom door, Harry slowly got to his feet and walked over to see who it was. When Harry opened the door, he saw that it was Petunia who had knocked.

"Harry, can I speak with you for a moment?" Harry didn't really know how to respond to this. Was this the same woman who had always glared at him for everything that he had done? When Harry looked into her eyes this time, he wasn't sure what emotion he saw. Perhaps it was fear...pity? Not really knowing how to respond to this, Harry stepped aside to let his aunt enter the room. Harry walked back over to his trunk and listened as Petunia closed the door behind her as she entered the room.

"Is there something that I need to do? I am trying to get everything packed so that I can leave tomorrow." Harry wasn't sure, but a look of surprise passed over Petunia's face.

"Tomorrow? But I thought that you had to stay for at least half of the summer to ensure your protection. Has Dumbledore said that you could leave early or something?"

"No, he didn't say that. But I do not think that he would say anything at all. Albus was killed a couple of weeks ago in an attack against the school. I do not know why I returned here at all. Call it habit if you will. But I will be leaving tomorrow morning never to return again." As Harry finished, he saw a look of sadness and perhaps regret on his aunt's face.

"I figured something like that must have happened for your nightmares to return like they have." When Petunia said this, it was Harry's turn to look surprised. "Vernon doesn't know, but I have looked in here several times over the past week when you were asleep to see you tossing and turning in your sleep. You would mutter something every now and then, but it was never anything that I could understand."

"So you have known all this time and you never once did anything to keep that beast of a husband away from me?" Harry was starting to get angry again, but for some reason he managed to keep himself calm.

"I'm sorry. I do not know what more I can say. I know that we have been nothing like what you would call a fam-"

"A family?" Harry interrupted. "You're right. The only thing that makes you family to me is the blood that is flowing through your veins. You want to see my family?" Harry grabbed the album of him and his friends and put it into Petunia's hands. As Petunia flipped through the pages of the leather bound album, tears freely fell from her eyes. The Harry in theses pictures showed him to be truly happy and surrounded by people that love him. As Petunia continued to look through the pages, Harry grabbed another album and set it on top of the one she was looking through. "This is my other family. Perhaps you will recognize a few of them." As Petunia opened the front cover, she gasped silently at the first picture that she saw. As she looked down, she could see James and Lily dancing happily in each other's arms laughing. As she flipped through other faces, She saw pictures of both James and Lily holding a little baby in their arms.

"Oh Harry, I am so sorry." That was all she was able to get out before soft sobs could be heard from her. Slowly, Harry got up and reached for a tissue box that he kept close to his bed. Harry offered his aunt a tissue from the box and she took one while never taking her eyes from the pictures.

Slowly, Petunia closed each of the albums and placed them back on his desk. Petunia rose and dabbed her eyes once more with the tissue before slowly stepping out of the room and closing the door. Harry had just started to put everything away that was on his desk when his aunt entered once more holding a book of her own.

"I don't know why I haven't given this to you yet, but since this is probably the last time that I will see you, I think that you should have it." Not waiting for Harry to say anything, she set the book on Harry's desk and left the room once more with a soft click from the door.

Harry looked at the book for a second before realizing that it was a photo album just like the ones that he had. When Harry opened the book, his breath caught in his mouth as he realized what he was looking at. As Harry looked down, it was as if he were looking at a picture of Ginny. It startled Harry at how close she and his mom resemble each other. As Harry flipped through the pages, he soon realized that this was dedicated to Lily and Petunia as they grew up together. As Harry neared the end of the album, he was surprised at how the pictures slowly started to change. At first, both Lily and Petunia were happy girls growing up together. But as they got older, Petunia's smile had faded from that of happiness to that of toleration. Harry slowly closed the book and set it on top of the others.

Once Harry had finished packing all of his belongings, he was surprised to see that the sun was nearing the tops of the trees as the day was coming to a close. Harry quickly grabbed a piece of spare parchment and wrote a hasty letter to Ginny.

_Hey Gin,_

_If you can, could you please floo here tomorrow morning to meet me? I would love to come early, but I do not have any powder to do so. I am asking you like this because I do not want a big scene here like there has been in the past. I'll stay up and wait for your response._

_Love, Harry_

Harry quickly attached the note to Hedwig and sent her off. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long for a response to come. Harry slowly made his way over to his bed so that he could lie down. It wasn't too long before his eyes became heavy and he fell off to sleep.

A soft tapping noise could be heard from the window as Harry slept in his bed. Harry rolled over and reached for his glasses just as the thought occurred to him at what the noise could mean. Quickly, Harry reached the window to allow his bird back into the room. As Hedwig fluttered to her perch, Harry noticed that there was a small note attached to her leg. Obediently, Hedwig reached her leg out so that Harry could retrieve the letter that she carried. As soon as the letter was removed, Hedwig flew out again for her evening hunt. Harry sat down at his desk as he read the all too familiar handwriting.

_Harry,_

_Of course I will come and meet you. I will leave a note for mom and leave without saying anything so that I can get there as early as possible. Expect me there at 7 am. I slipped a hint to dad and he said that the floo would be connected by then. Until that time, goodbye._

_Love, Ginny_

Harry released a breath that he did not know that he was holding. Harry looked over to the clock beside his bed and saw that it was just past two in the morning. Harry couldn't help but let a grin slide across his face. In a few short hours he would be back with the person that he truly loved and belonged to. Harry quietly went back to his bed for the last little bit of sleep that he would ever get on Privet Drive again.

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Harry awoke with a start at 6 am Friday morning. Harry cleaned himself up and got all of his belongs together so that he could leave as soon as Ginny arrived. At ten minutes till seven, Harry quickly carried his trunk and owl cage downstairs to the den to patiently wait for Ginny's arrival.

Just as Harry got his stuff situated by the fire, Petunia walked in from the kitchen. "Harry, I didn't expect to see you down here this early."

"Someone is coming by to pick me up in a few minutes and I wanted to be ready so that I could leave here as soon as possible." A look of understanding passed over Petunia's face. Before she could say anything else, the fireplace erupted into bright green flames and a young red head stepped out of the fireplace. As soon as Petunia laid eyes on the girl, her face paled considerably and she raised her hands to her mouth in shock.

"No, it can't be." Ginny looked up to the woman and all but glared at her. "You were...dead...years ago...Lily...how?" Ginny simply stared at the woman and noticed that tears were forming at the corners of her eyes.

"My name is Ginny, and I am here to take Harry home." Ginny turned her head to look at Harry and gave him a small smile. "You ready to go?"

Harry looked from Ginny to the shocked Petunia and slowly nodded his head. Without any more words passing between the group, Harry and Ginny both left Privet Drive in a blur of green flames.

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**AN**: Just so you guys know, none of the characters are mine. They are the sole property of Mrs. Rowling. Thanks for reading…I hope you like it thus far!

- Boit62283


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

Harry and Ginny stepped out of the fireplace at The Burrow and started to brush each other off. Harry has yet been able to travel by floo without getting any soot on him. As Harry finished brushing Ginny off, the door to the kitchen opened and Molly Weasley stepped through the door. Just as Molly was opening her mouth to tell Ginny how irresponsible she was to travel without supervision, she spotted Harry and lost her thought.

"Oh Harry dear. It is so nice to see you again. I trust that there was no problem this morning?" Molly shot a look to her daughter to send her a silent message. If Ginny had noticed her mother and the way that she was looking at her, she gave no outward sign of it.

"Oh no ma'am, there was no problem at all." Harry gave Molly a genuine smile as he looked around at how the house had changed since he was last there. It wasn't so much that there was anything new in the house, it was the fact that there was so much more room. As Harry looked, he noticed that the den was at least three times its normal size with a few more couches and chairs scattered around the room. Harry reasoned that the change was to accommodate all of the guests that would be visiting the house for Bill and Fleur's wedding. Harry looked back to Molly to see that she was still looking at Ginny through narrowed eyes. Harry figured he should say something to help calm Molly down a little bit. "Mrs. Weasley, I do not think that things could have gone any better had there been the normal welcoming committee of at least six armed Order members. Trust me when I say that there was not even a verbal confrontation between Ginny and my so-called family. I am just happy to finally be away from there."

Molly looked back at Harry and slowly let out a light sigh. Although she was still upset with Ginny for leaving with nothing more than a note, she understood her reason for going like she did. Had Ginny actually asked if she could go get Harry, the answer would have been no. Molly looked back at Harry and smiled. "Well, as long as the two of you are ok, that is all that I care about. Why don't you go on upstairs and put your things away. Harry, Ron will probably still be asleep since it is early, but I am sure that he will wake up quick when you get up there." Molly made a small waving gesture with her hand as she walked back into the kitchen. Ginny turned to look at Harry and breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Well that went a lot better than I thought that it would. I was expecting her to be furious and start yelling about carelessness and how dangerous it could have been." Harry cracked a small grin and started to slowly shake his head.

"If I must be honest, I think that your mom was fairly upset with the fact that you just left like that. But I am happy that you did come like you said you would. I don't know how much longer I could have stayed there."

"Harry, there is one thing that is bothering me about your aunt. When I came out of the fireplace, she had a shocked look on her face and then started to stutter something about your mom. What was that all about?" Ginny turned her head slightly to the side with a questioning look on her face.

"There is something that you need to see before I explain what actually happened. Let me get my things upstairs and check on Ron and get him out of bed. I'll talk more about it after we eat breakfast." Harry simply smiled as Ginny raised a questioning eyebrow. Slowly, Ginny nodded her head in agreement as she started up the stairs with Hedwig's cage and Harry's broom. Harry grabbed his trunk and started up the stairs behind Ginny.

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After Harry thanked Ginny for helping with his things, she turned and walked back down the stairs to where her mom was working. Harry slowly opened the bedroom door to hear Ron softly snoring in his sleep. Harry quietly entered the room and placed his trunk next to Ron's and set Hedwig's cage next to the window on the dresser.

"Harry?" Harry was putting his broom in the corner of the room when he heard Ron's voice. Harry turned to see that his friend was staring bleary-eyed at him. Harry smiled and walked over to the bed and sat at the foot.

"Morning Ron. It's about time you woke up." Harry started to laugh as Ron's eyes grew to the size of saucers.

"Harry! I can't believe that you're here! When did you get in? How did you get here?"

"I just got in about five minutes ago. Ginny flooed to The Dursley's and rescued me." Harry watched as Ron's expression went from excitement to almost anger.

"What do you mean rescue you? Where they beating you or something?" Harry got a little nervous at his friend's sudden change of mood. Harry figured that he would need to act quickly to keep Ron from getting any madder.

"No, it was nothing like that. I just meant that she came and brought me away from them. For the most part, my aunt and uncle just ignored me as usual." Harry held his breath to wait and see if Ron would calm down. Eventually, Ron was back to his normal self with a smile on his face.

"Well that's good then, and it's good to see you. How was Ginny able to just leave like that? Did mom know that she had gone?" Harry couldn't help but chuckle at that thought.

"Actually no. Ginny wrote to tell me that the floo would be open today and tomorrow for me to come here for the wedding. After some thought, I figured that I would just come today as soon as The Dursleys were connected so that I could get away with them. I wrote Ginny to see if she would come and pick me up and she told me that she would be there first thing. From what I have found out, Ginny just left a note saying what she was going to do and left."

"I bet mom had a fit when the two of you turned up this morning." Ron started to laugh at the thought of his mom getting mad like that first thing in the morning.

"Well, she wasn't too happy about it. However, I explained that there was nothing to worry about and the Dursleys barely said a word when she was there. But enough about that. It's time for you to get up. From the way things smelt downstairs, your mom has breakfast ready and I know how you hate to miss a meal." As if on cue, Ron's stomach made a grumbling sound. Harry just laughed as Ron rolled out of bed and made his way toward the door. Within minutes, Harry, Ron, and Ginny were sitting around the kitchen table while Molly brought plates full of food and placed them in front of the three teens.

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As Ron finished eating, he stood up and started to make his way over toward the fireplace. Harry and Ginny looked at him funny for a second before Ron spoke up to tell them what he was going to do.

"I am on my way to The Granger's to meet Hermione's parents and then bring her back here. I figured that now was as good a time as any before we all got too busy in setting everything up." Harry and Ginny started to nod their heads in agreement as Ron stepped into the grate before disappearing in a flash of green flames. Harry and Ginny were finally left alone in the kitchen as Molly had already left to start setting things up.

"So Harry, would you mind explaining what exactly happened this morning when I got to your aunt and uncle's house?" Ginny was looking at Harry with questioning eyes. Harry merely smiled as he led her out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his and Ron's room. Once they were in the room, Harry walked over to his trunk and retrieved a photo album while Ginny went and sat on the bed. Harry walked back to the bed and sat down beside Ginny while handing her the album. "What's this?"

"Just open it. I think that you may be surprised at what you may see." Harry looked over Ginny's shoulder as she opened the book to see that none of the pictures were moving. Ginny tilted her head to the side a little as if trying to figure out what kind of pictures these were.

"Harry, what kind of album is this? None of the pictures are moving." Ginny continued to turn through the pages that contained pictures of young girls.

"This is what a muggle photo album looks like. None of the pictures are moving because they were not taken with a magical camera." Ginny nodded her head as she continued to look through the pages. She grew more and more interested as the pictures continued to show what appeared to be two sisters growing up together. What interested her more was that one of the girls had auburn hair that fell just past her shoulders. Slowly, Ginny started to understand who these girls were that were in the pictures.

"Harry, you said that your mom grew up in a muggle home right?" Harry just smiled at her while slowly nodding his head.

"Yes. What you are looking at are pictures of my mom and her sister when they were little girls." Ginny was almost through the end of the album when she let out a slight gasp of surprise.

"Harry, is this why your aunt was so surprised when I appeared in the fireplace?" Ginny was looking at a picture of Lily when she was about twelve years old. Lily had bright red hair tied up in a ponytail with a big smile on her face. Ginny looked back at Harry to see that his eyes had started to mist over.

"I guess by now you can see how closely you resemble my mom when she was your age. I guess by you coming to the house, you might have triggered some memories that my aunt may have had regarding my mother. That is why she was so shocked to see you. For a minute, she thought that you were her dead sister…my mother." Harry now had a silent tear falling from his eye.

"How did you get this album? Surely you would have shown us if you had it earlier." Ginny looked back at Harry to see him wiping a tear from his eye.

"The last night that I was there, my aunt came into my room and we talked for a little while. She managed some sort of apology for the way I was treated all those years while I lived there. She said something about family and that was when I showed her the photo album of all of us at school. After she looked through it, she left and returned with this album. She said that it was about time that I had it. That night was the first time I had seen a picture of my mom in that house." Ginny looked up to Harry and saw that another tear was forming in his eye as he thought of those painful years he was at the Dursleys. She slowly reached up and gently wiped the tear from his eye. Harry looked over to Ginny and slowly lost himself in her brown eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, a soft tapping noise could be heard coming from the door. Harry looked over to see Hermione standing there with a slightly raised eyebrow and Ron behind her with a smile playing across his face.

"Well I was going to wonder if you two were going to notice us here." Ginny looked over to Hermione to see that she had started to smile.

"Come on you two. Mom is looking to put us to work and help with the final preparations. I suggest that we do not keep her waiting." With a slight groan, Harry stood up and he and Ginny made their way to the door to follow Ron and Hermione.

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Molly looked up from the den to see the four teens making there way down the stairs. Before they had even reached the bottom, Molly rounded on them and immediately assigned tasks that they would need to have done.

"Now that the four of you are here, I have a list of things that need to be done before tomorrow. Ron, you and Harry need to go outside and help Charlie and the twins set up the tables and chairs for everyone that will be here tomorrow. Ginny, you and Hermione can help me in here setting up our dining room with plates and glasses for dinner tonight and tomorrow. A lot of the guests will start to arrive tonight and we have to set up some spare rooms for them throughout the day. I will let you know when all of that will take place. Well, let's get to it then. We don't have too much time to waste." Harry and Ron walked out the back door while Ginny and Hermione followed Molly into the newly transfigured dining room.

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As Harry entered the backyard, his mouth opened slightly at the sight of how much has been done in preparation for the wedding. Sitting under the shade of a large oak tree, a gazebo was set up with white roses flowing throughout the rails. There were also about a hundred or so chairs set up in two even groups that were divided by a large white carpet that made up the center aisle. A raised platform was set up off to the side where a small band would be set up to play during the wedding. In the back where Harry was currently standing, several tables were arranged in long rows that would hold the various assortment of food that would be brought for the reception.

"Well, it's about time you decided to show up Harry. I was beginning to think that you were not going to come." A tall redhead that had walked up beside him snapped Harry out of his thoughts.

"Hey Fred! It looks as if you guys have been busy out here. It doesn't look as if there's too much more that needs to be done." Harry gave Fred a small smile as he started to shake his head a little.

"Good try Harry. But with mom running around cracking her whip, there is always something that needs to be done. Right now we're setting up some tables that we're going to eat around tonight. Bill and Fleur are coming in later on with some of Fleur's family and mom thought that it would be nice if we ate outside tonight. You two are here just in time to help us with the chairs." Harry and Ron gave a slight chuckle as they followed Fred off to the side where the tables were being setup.

"Hey Harry! Ron."

"Hey George." Harry and Ron both responded at the same time as they started to carry chairs to place around the table.

"Oh, George, I've been meaning to ask you, how's the joke shop coming around? I've been out of the loop for a little while and haven't heard anything." Both Fred and George looked at Harry with equally large smiles.

"The shop is great! You wouldn't believe the amount of business we're receiving. Every now and then, we get requests from different stores across the country asking if they can stock some of our inventions in their stores. Since we could never disappoint future customers, we sent each of them samples of our newest stock and update them each month with different things. Business couldn't be any better." Harry just laughed in amazement at what George had just told him. He had never thought that in just two years time, the twins would have expanded so far with their store.

"That's good to hear George. I couldn't be any happier for the two of you." The guys continued to set the chairs up as the sun reached its noonday height.

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That night, a large group of people sat outside The Burrow to enjoy a quite meal together. Ron sat beside Hermione, Harry next to Ginny, and the various other Weasleys were seated around the table. At the Head, Bill sat next to Fleur and next to her sat Gabrielle. Molly and Arthur sat at the other end of the table. The conversations were light and about things ranging from Charlie and the newest dragon that he was working with to Gabrielle and how she was doing at school. Harry and Ginny, as well as Ron and Hermione, were quietly talking to each other about different things, but none were talking about the attacks or their futures at Hogwarts. It was still too soon to talk about, and painful for others to have to relive that night just yet. Slowly, Arthur got to his feet and lightly tapped his glass with a fork.

"Quiet down everyone. I have something that I would like to say." As everyone stopped talking and looked at the eldest Weasley, Arthur started to speak again. "I just want to take the time now to thank everyone for being here tonight to honor my son and his beautiful soon to be wife. These are not good times that we are living in right now, but as we have seen, love can take you a long way. Bill, Fleur, for whatever the future may bring to the two of you, always know that you have a family and a home here that will always love you. We wish you the best of luck in whatever you may chose to do. To Bill and Fleur!" As one group, everyone raised their glasses in honor of the couple sitting at the head of the table.

As Arthur sat back down and hugged his wife, the conversations picked back up again. Slowly, Ginny turned to Harry to talk to him.

"Harry, what is going to happen between the two of us?" Harry looked into Ginny's eyes to see her pleading for the answer the he wasn't sure he could give her.

"I'm not sure Gin. You know my feelings for you, and that is what is scaring me right now. I don't want our love for each other to be used against us as a weapon for Voldemort. The last thing that I want is to see you hurt." Harry looked at Ginny again to see a tear forming in her eye.

"I understand that. But you also have to understand that I am willing to risk that if you are. You heard what my dad said just a minute ago. He knows that these are dark times. But if Bill and Fleur can find a way to be together, why can't we?" Harry knew that answer to that, but he didn't want to hurt Ginny any more that what he had already.

"I'm just scared Ginny. I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to you because of my feelings for you. How could I live with myself being the cause of your harm?" Harry lowered his eyes. He didn't want her to see the pain that he was putting himself through. Slowly, Ginny reached over and lifted his head so that his eyes once more met hers. She then lowered her hand to rest on his arm.

"Harry, I've been in danger simply because I am Ron's sister and he is your best friend. At least this way you will always be near me in case I do come into trouble. I know that you would always be there to protect me." Harry reached over and took Ginny's hand into his.

"I know. And you're right. I would die before I let anything happen to you. I just need a little time to figure everything out. Just know that I will never be far from you. You will always be in my heart. Things will get better over time, it's just too hard right now." Ginny slowly nodded her head knowing that that was the best she was going to get from Harry right now. Although Harry never said it out loud, Ginny knew that he loved her and would never leave her. When all the smoke clears, she knows that the two of them will be together.

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The following day started early for everyone. Once they had eaten breakfast, the teens went back upstairs to get cleaned up and dressed for the day's ceremony. The night before, Harry and Ron had each laid out their best set of dress robes so that they would be flat for the wedding. Once everyone was showered and dressed, the teens walked back downstairs and into the backyard where the ceremony was to take place. As expected, there were well over fifty people there now with more arriving by the minute by either apparation or port key.

There were several people there that had caught Harry and Ron's eye. There was one group of people who were dressed in dress robes, but had their long hair tied back in ponytails much like Charlie's was done. They also wore either a necklace or an earring with some sort of tooth hanging from it. Harry figured that they worked with Charlie in Romania studying dragons.

Ron looked over the rest of the crowd and noticed a group of women who were wearing pale blue dress robes with long flowing blonde hair. Ron immediately started to make his way over there just as Harry realized what was going on. Harry quickly grabbed Ron's arm before he had a chance to embarrass himself.

"Ron, you need to snap out of it." Ron gave a quick shake of his head and gave Harry a confused look.

"Sorry mate, I don't know what came over me." Ron gave another quick glance at the group of women and started to fall back into a trance like state before turning away.

"It's ok Ron. I have a feeling that they are some of Fleur's family, and they are at least part veela. Just don't do anything stupid." Just as Harry said that, Hermione walked over and slipped her arm into Ron's. When Ron felt Hermione's arm, he slowly looked down trying not to look embarrassed.

"What's wrong with you Ron?" Hermione looked at Ron then shot Harry a quick glance.

"I just told Ron to be careful around Fleur's family. I think they are part veela and you know how they can affect people." Hermione gave Ron a knowing look and led him away from the gathering people. As Hermione and Ron walked away, Ginny walked up and placed her hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry turned to look at Ginny and his breath caught in his throat. Ginny was wearing light yellow dress robes with her hair flowing freely across her shoulders.

"Ginny, you look amazing." Ginny blushed at Harry compliment and lightly kissed his cheek.

"Come on, the ceremony is about to start." Ginny placed her arm in Harry's and led him to where Hermione and Ron had sat down. As the crowd took their seats, and light song started from the band and everyone turned to see that the wedding was getting ready to start. As if on cue, the audience rose to their feet as Fleur started to make her way down the aisle being led by her sister who was gently dropping rose petals at her feet. Once Fleur reached the gazebo where Bill was waiting, the crowd took their seats as the ceremony started.

After what seemed like minutes, Bill and Fleur kissed each other, which caused the entire crowd to erupt into cheers. Harry glanced over at Ginny to notice that she had a tear falling from her eye. Harry reached over and took her hand just as Bill and Fleur passed them heading back up the aisle toward the back of the crowd. Slowly, everyone left their seats and made their way to where all the tables were set up overflowing with various foods and drinks. The day could not have been any more perfect for such and occasion.

Harry left Ginny for a second to go and speak to Remus. There was something that he needed to take care of and Remus was the only person that he could talk to. As Harry walked by a group of people, he spotted Remus talking with Tonks. Harry slowly approached him and tapped him on his shoulder.

"Remus, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second?"

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In a dark dungeon, six people dressed in black robes knelt in front of a man seated in what could only be described as a throne. This man was also dressed in black, the only things visible being the blood red eyes. The man seated in his chair slowly looked over those knelt in front of him before slowly speaking to them.

"My faithful Death Eaters. As you know, we have dealt the side of light a mighty blow following the attack at Hogwarts. I have confirmed reports that the muggle-loving old man has finally been brought down by one of you here in this room. I cannot tell you how much that pleases me. Attacks have been on the rise and the world is once more within my grasp. I ask you now to go out and increase the size of our membership. This war can only be won through sheer terror. If they will not join, then they do not deserve to live. Do what you must to ensure success." As one, the kneeling Death Eaters lowered their heads even further before rising to their feet and leaving. "Severus, I must speak with you." One of the wizards cloaked in black returned to Voldemort and knelt back down in front of him.

"How might I be of service my master?"

"Severus, one of my most faithful Death Eaters. You have had to risk yourself in my service to spy on those who considered you a friend. I have one final request of you before you leave."

"As you wish my lord."

"I have discovered a means to make our enemy his weakest and eventually bring about his downfall. I do not know why I haven't thought of this sooner, but it makes the most sense. Are you interested in this task."

"As always my lord, I live to serve only you." An evil smile played across Voldemort's face as he started to tell Severus his plan.

"Tell me what you know about the Dursleys."

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**AN**: Well, there's two down. I hope you like it so far! As I said earlier, none of the characters are mine. RR!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

"Severus, tell me about the Dursleys." Lord Voldemort's blood red eyes looked down to the man who was silently kneeling at his feet. After all of the failed attempts at _the boy who lived_, the Dark Lord had finally found a way to deal a crushing blow to the boy. Severus kept his eyes to the floor as he started to speak in a low mumble.

"My lord, as you know, Potter is protected by an ancient form of magic. Dumbledore as a last resort to protect boy implemented this form of magic. The blood that flows through his veins holds the protection together. Becau-"

"CRUCIO!" Voldemort was slowly becoming impatient with what he was being told. Severus was supposed to be reporting on things that would benefit in the destruction of the boy. "You are telling me things that I already know. Is there anything new that you have to add?" With out lifting the curse, Voldemort waited for Snape's reply.

"Y-yes m-my l-l-lord."

"Finite. Then I would suggest that you get to the point." Voldemort leaned back into his chair as Severus slowly got back into the kneeling position with his face just inches above the ground.

"My lord, Petunia Dursley is the only living relative to Potter's mudblood mother. The blood that flowed through her veins is the same that flows through the Dursley woman. We kill the Dursleys and we destroy any protection that is bound to Potter." Severus waited for the pain that he knew would be coming his direction. Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead under the mask that he wore.

"As simple plan as that is, there is still one problem. The house is also under the protection of wards set in place." Voldemort started to raise his wand again for Snape having wasted his time.

"My lord, I have access to the house as I was one of the trusted in protecting the boy. I know about the wards around the house and how to bring them down. I faithfully served you then, my lord, just as faithfully as I serve you now." Severus bent lower to the ground in reverence to his master. Slowly Voldemort lowered his wand as his eyes narrowed to tiny slits.

"Severus, it appears that your time away from me has proven to be valuable. You are in charge of making the plan against this Dursley. You are to only take a couple of the most loyal with you."

"As you command my lord, so shall it be done." Severus remained kneeling in front of the man seated on his dark throne. Time has proven it unwise to leave before you were told to.

"That will be all. Send young Malfoy in before you take your leave. He has failed me once already, and he must learn that failure will not be tolerated. He will be with you once again. I am designating him as the one to make the hit. If he fails again, he does not leave the house alive."

Severus slowly got to his knees and crawled back before rising to his feet and backing out of the room. Once Severus was away from the large room, he apparated to Malfoy Manor.

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"Remus, may I talk with you for a moment?" Harry looked over to Tonks and offered her an apologetic frown. As much as Harry felt bad for interrupting their conversation, this was one thing that he felt could not wait.

"Sure Harry." Remus looked back to Tonks and murmured his apology before following Harry away from the crowd. As Harry slowed to a stop away from everyone, Remus was able to see that something was troubling the young teen. "What's wrong Harry?"

Harry turned to face Remus as a single tear fell from his eye. From Dumbledore's tragic death until now, this was the first time that Harry has ever shown any sort of emotion one way or the other. "Answering the question of what is wrong would not even begin to scratch the surface. It is far easier to ask what is not right."

Remus looked at Harry and felt the pain that was flowing through the boy. "Everyone will miss him Harry. There was nothing that anyone of us could have done to help him. But you must remember that this is a war that we are fighting and there will be many casualties before it is over; on their side as well as ours."

"You are wrong about one thing. I was there when Professor Dumbledore was murdered. I was there when he begged for help while one of those he trusted struck him down. If I was able to move, the-"

"Then you would have been killed as well. Harry, I am sorry for the pain that you are going through. I can honestly say that I know how you feel. We both have had friends betrayed and murdered by someone that we have trusted. I am just as angry as you are about what has happened. Nevertheless, you must keep in mind that the war will still rage forward despite the pain that we feel. It is my fear that the Professor's death is only the beginning of what will come. This has been a mighty blow to our side with the death of our leader. We are now fighting a war with out the guidance of our general." Remus paused and noticed that Harry's eyes had taken on a distant look. Before he could say anything else, Harry spoke.

"Remus, our general may have fallen, but we are not without a leader. The only question remaining is if there are any who are willing to follow?" Harry averted his eyes till they were boring straight into Remus'. The intensity of Harry's gaze caused Remus to take a step back. As Remus stared into Harry's eyes, he could have sworn that he saw flickers of electricity pulsing through his eyes.

"Harry, you can't possibly mean that-"

"As I said early, will there be any willing to follow. Remus, what do you know of the events that took place in the Department of Mysteries two years ago? Do you truly know why that location was targeted by Voldemort himself?" Remus had to catch his breath as the memories of that night played inside his mind. That was the night the last Marauder had fallen and Harry almost with him. Remus held back the tears threatening to unleash as he met Harry's gaze.

"All I truly know is that Voldemort was in search of a prophecy, a prophecy that had somehow tied the two of you together. I also know that the prophecy was destroyed before he could hear what it entailed. What does this have to do with you taking over what Dumbledore had started?" Remus noticed for a second time that blue crackles of electricity were pulsing in Harry's eyes. Remus wasn't sure if he should fear for himself or the poor soul that Harry would unleash it on.

"It has everything to do with it. _'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…' _What I have just told you is what Voldemort was trying to steal that night at the Ministry." Harry paused to let what he just told Remus sink in.

Without warning, Remus dropped to the ground with unshed tears falling from his eyes. After a few moments, Remus looked to see that Harry was kneeling in front of him with emotionless eyes. "I am so sorry Harry. I had no idea about any of this."

Harry looked over the man sitting in front of him with a soft gaze. "I know, which is why I told you now. I had a hard time believing it was me at first until Professor explained it all to me. As you now know, that prophecy could have fit for me and one other person, Neville. I asked Dumbledore if he was sure it was me, and he broke it down piece by piece. The part that turns the tide in my favor was when it said that he would mark me as his equal." Harry paused as he pointed to his scar. "Fortunately, Voldemort only knows the first half of the prophecy."

"What do you mean only the first half?" Remus looked to Harry with a questioning expression.

"As Dumbledore was listening to the prophecy, a friend threw the door open and knocked a _spy_ into the room who was listening to what was being said. Before all was said and done, the Death Eater was able to report to Voldemort what little bit that he had managed to overhear. The rest of which you know." Harry took a steadying breath waiting for the question that Remus was sure to ask.

"Harry, are you telling me what I think you are?" Remus watched as Harry's eyes turned to stone.

"I am saying that Severus Snape reported what he had heard to Voldemort which in turn eventually led to the death of my parents, your friends. He was the Death Eater who was listening outside the door as the prophecy was being spoken. I only just learned of this a little while ago, or I would have killed him myself when I had the chance. All this time, Snape was spying on us for Voldemort when we had thought it was the other way around." As Harry spoke, he saw that Remus' eyes had hardened with every word.

"Had I known what you just told me, I would have killed him myself. But that is not the goal at hand. What I need to know is what you plan to do." Remus sat quietly staring into Harry's cold green eyes.

"I plan on doing a couple things first. This is the actual reason why I wanted to pull you aside. As you may know, I am no longer going to live with the Dursleys. I have cleared out my stuff and will not return. As much as I would like to live with the Weasleys, I do not want to put them into any unnecessary harm. I have wanted for a long time to live in the house of my parents. That is why I wanted you. I wish for you to show me where my parents lived, where my home is."

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"Enter!"

A pale-faced blonde-haired boy had raised his hand to knock at the door when a booming voice emerged from somewhere beyond. As quickly as possible, the boy opened the double doors and strode into the room where he promptly fell to his knees before a fearsome looking man. A few moments passed before any words were spoken between the two of them.

"Draco, do you know why I have summoned you hear before me?"

Draco took in a silent breath to gather his thoughts on what he would say. However, before he could utter a word, the man in the high-backed chair raised his wand and narrowed his eyes to little slits. "CRUCIO!"

The pain that ran through Draco's body was like nothing he had ever felt before. Draco's joints and limbs contorted into odd angles as he arched his back at what seemed like a thousand knives stabbing everywhere. Meanwhile, Voldemort continued to talk in what seemed like a conversational tone.

"Young Malfoy, you were summoned here to account for your utter failure at what I had instructed you to do. Your task before receiving your mark was to kill the muggle-lover. However, you were unable to do so, and as a result, my spy was forced to compromise his position to fulfill your duty. FINITE!" Draco immediately stopped convulsing on the floor. However, it was a moment or two before he could finally rise to his knees again. Voldemort waited silently for Draco to return to his knees before he said another word. "If it had been anyone else who had failed on this magnitude, they would have been killed instantly. However, your father has pleaded for me to allow you another chance. If you fail me again, you will not live long enough to regret it. I believe Severus is with your father at this moment. Return to the manor and speak to them."

Draco took those words as his cue to leave. Once Draco was outside the chamber room, he disappeared with a muffled crack, leaving nothing but a faint trail of smoke.

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Lucius and Severus were sitting in the parlor of Malfoy Manor when they both heard a slight popping sound coming from the area just beyond. As one, they both rose from their seats to go and greet the new arrival. As the two men entered the entrance area, they watched as Draco slowly lifted himself and walked towards them with a slight stiffness to his step. As Draco came to a slow halt, he raised his eyes to meet those of the men standing before him.

"Father. Severus." Draco paused with his greeting before finally being able to put words to his thoughts. "Thank you for finishing what I could not, Severus. And father, thank you for showing mercy and requesting for my life to be spar-"

Before Draco could finish, he realized with a sudden pain on the left side of his face that his father had just backhanded him. "What you received tonight from the Dark Lord was merely a taste of what it took for me to spare your life. You fail again and I will get you before the Dark Lord does, son." With those words, Lucius turned and went back into the room from which he had left. Severus soon followed muttering a quick 'follow me' to Draco.

Draco followed Severus into the parlor and slowly made his way to where he could face to the men. As Draco came to a rest, his father once again addressed him.

"Draco, you have once again been called upon by our master to carry out a task which will give you the honor of bearing the Dark Mark. Should you fail in this task, you will be terminated immediately. You task will commence in three days, as it is now your job to eliminate the protection that Potter has over his life. You job will be to kill is muggle aunt, Dursley. Two other Death Eaters will join you, but you are the one making the hit. If you do not, then they will kill you per their instructions. What are your questions?" Lucius sat silently to ensure that his son knew what he was to do.

"I have no questions father. I am well prepared to do what I know must be done." Lucius studied his son for a moment before giving him a quick nod. With that last acknowledgement, Draco left the manor to start down a path he never thought imaginable.

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Remus studied Harry for a moment before he spoke again. "Tomorrow, I will take you to Godric's Hollow." Remus looked over Harry's shoulder before addressing the teen once more. "I'll meet you in the kitchen tomorrow morning and we will leave then. As for now, head back to the party and hang out with your friends. We'll speak about this when we meet again."

Harry smiled and thanked Remus before heading back toward the tables. As Harry turned, He noticed that Ginny was standing off to the side waiting for Harry to return. As he approached, Ginny walked up to him and placed her arm in his.

"So what did you need to talk to Remus about? Nothing important I hope." Ginny looked up to see a slight smile on Harry's lips.

"No Gin, not really. Remus agreed to take me home tomorrow so that I will be able to see what it is like." Ginny looked confused for a moment before Harry cleared things up for her. "Remus agreed to take me to Godric's Hollow tomorrow morning. I asked him if he could show me where my parents lived and he agreed to it."

Ginny had the look of surprise in her eyes as she looked up to Harry. "Harry, that's wonderful. It's good to here that you will be able to return to your birth home. Will you be ok? I can't really imagine the emotional pain that you may go through."

Harry's drifted across the backyard of the Weasley's with a slight frown spreading across his face. "I'll admit that it will be difficult. Bit I think that it's time for me to go home, my real home. If its ok with your mom, would you like to come? I'm sure that I could use all the support that I could get."

Ginny breathed in a slight gasp as what Harry said started to sink in. "I would love to and I'm sure mom wouldn't mind as long as Remus would be there with us. Give me just one minute and I'll go ask her if it'll be ok."

Harry watched as Ginny ran over to where her mom was standing and quickly started to whisper into her ear. Molly looked at her daughter then to where Harry was standing before looking back at Ginny. After a silent moment, Molly offered Ginny a slow nod before turning back to her other guests.

As Ginny walked back to Harry, he could see that she had a wide grin on her face. Without any warning, she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulders. Harry, who was taken by surprise, slowly encircled Ginny with his arms and held her close as soft music started to drift across the yard. As if was the most natural thing in the world, Harry and Ginny started to slowly sway in time with the soft enchanting music. It was as if no one else existed but the two of them slowly dancing in each other's arms. Although Harry and Ginny were in their own little world, their dancing did not go unnoticed to others who were around them. Ron and Hermione noticed the two of them and slowly walked over and started to dance as well. Soon there after Remus and Tonks were dancing as well. In what seemed like a matter of moments, almost everyone who came and was not eating was dancing.

After what seemed like and eternity with Ginny, Harry looked around to notice that the majority of the guests had either left or were inside with the rest of the family. The only couples that were still dancing were Ron and Hermione as well as Remus and Tonks. Once Harry had made eye contact with Ron and Remus, he and Ginny slowly made their way back to the house with Ginny's arm in his. As everyone walked through the Weasley's house one last time, the four teens said his or her goodnights and went to bed.

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Harry awoke early the next morning to find that Remus and Ginny were already in the kitchen eating the breakfast that Molly had made for them. As Harry entered the kitchen, Ginny flashed him an encouraging smile as he took a seat across from Remus.

"Good morning Harry! How did you sleep last night?" Molly smiled as she placed a plate full of food in front of Harry before placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It was good Mrs. Weasley. I'm just a little nervous about today. I guess you could say that I am scared of going home. I don't really know what to expect." Harry lowered his eyes to the table and Ginny placed a comforting hand on Harry's.

"Don't worry Harry. Both Remus and I will be there for you. Everything will work out for the best." Harry looked up to Ginny and gave her a brief smile.

After a half hour or so, Harry and Ginny followed Remus outside The Burrow to apparate to Godric's Hollow. Once each teen had a firm grasp on each of his arms, Remus apparated away. After a dizzying few seconds, Harry was able to open his eyes and look upon the house he was born in. This was the first time that Harry has been back to this house since his parents were murdered some sixteen years ago. Without realizing it, silent tears started to flow down Harry's cheeks. Ginny noticed this and slowly wrapped her arms around him and brought Harry into a gentle embrace. After composing himself, Harry looked to Remus and gave a slight nod to signify that he was ready to walk to the house.

After a short walk up to the house, Harry looked up to Remus with a puzzled expression on his face. "Err, Moony, how do I open the door?"

Remus followed Harry's gaze and noticed that there wasn't a doorknob for them to use and gain entrance. "Well, I'm not exactly sure. I guess you should just place your hand on the door and see what happens."

Harry looked back at the door and slowly placed his hand on the center. As soon as his hand reached the door, it started to grow dark crimson and a stag's head emerged from the wood.

"Who dares to intrude on this hallowed ground?" Harry was seemingly dumbstruck and instinctively tried to pull his hand back. "I warn you now, if you leave before answering, the wrath of Prongs shall befall you. Now I ask again, state your name."

"My name is Harry Potter, accompanied by Miss Ginevra Weasley and Messers Moony. I am the son of Messers Prongs and his wife Lily. I have returned home." Harry managed to speak just above a whisper as he turned to look back. Harry was taken by surprise to see that Ginny was beaming at him while Remus had a tear falling from his eye. Slowly, Harry turned to face the door once more.

Slowly, the door changed to an emerald green shade and the stag spoke once more. "Welcome home Harry." The door slowly opened to reveal a massive foyer area with halls branching off in different directions. As Harry stepped through the doors, he felt a warm tingling sensation, which to him seemed like the house finally welcoming him home.

Harry had only managed a couple steps before the grandeur of the place stopped him in his tracks. He had never in his dreams thought that his parents had lived in a place such as this. Although the house could be compared to a medium sized home, the detail of the place was beyond anything Harry had ever seen. The woodwork on the stairs leading up was finished in dark mahogany wood with finely carved lions heads at the base of the handrails. The floor was made of brightly polished oak almost to the point of reflection. As Harry stood there taking in his home, Ginny and Remus both walked up beside him and while Remus placed a hand on his shoulder; Ginny wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Welcome home Harry." Harry looked up to see that Remus again had silent tears falling from his eyes.

"Thanks Moony. Thank you for finally bringing me home." Harry turned and hugged the man who was once one of his father's closest friends, the last remaining marauder.

Harry turned and started to walk through the house that his parents had lived in. As he approached the first door, Harry took in a slight gasp at what he found. As Harry scanned the room, Harry saw that there were books everywhere. Harry walked into the room and turned to look at Remus.

"This is your parents private library. Your father has a vast collection of books ranging from quidditch, which he loved, to both defensive and offensive spells. Many of the books that your father received at the Auror academy can be found in this room. I should say that you as well as your friends would find them all very interesting. Your mother also has a vast array of books in here as well. However, most of her books revolve around charms and protective spells. If I am not mistaken, her private journal can be found on the desk which she used when developing her own charms."

Harry turned one last time to look at the room while making a mental note to bring Hermione back the next time he returned. Harry left the room and proceeded to reacquaint himself with his home. The next room that Harry saw was the den. Harry paused at the entrance to see that this room was set up similar to the Gryffindor common room in the sense that there were two large couches set up in the room with a stuffed chair off to the side. Along the front of the room was a large fireplace and above that was a family portrait of James, Lily, and baby Harry in Lily's lap. Harry took a second to stare at the picture before he started to walk again. As Harry continued to walk, he found a spacious dining area and a kitchen that he knew Molly would love to work in. Harry finally had made a full circle of the downstairs area and paused at the foot of the stairs.

Remus paused behind Harry and slowly realized why he had stopped. Not wanted to cause any awkward feelings, Remus tried to change the subject. "Harry, I think that if you step out back, you may find something that you and your father have very much in common."

Harry turned to look at Remus and smiled at him, thankful that Remus had not said what Harry thought he might. Harry had only just now noticed that Ginny had taken Harry's hand as she had given him a reassuring squeeze. "I think that's a good idea. Please lead the way."

Remus offered Harry a smile as he turned and made his way to the back of the house. As Harry and Ginny exited the back door, both had frozen in spot at the scene that was before them. Harry's eyes had gone wide as he had come to realize that there was a full size quidditch pitch in his backyard.

"Just because your father and Sirius left school doesn't mean that they gave up what they had loved. I've lost count of the many games that had been player here. Let's just say that this was the place to be before your family had to go into hiding."

"Yeah, I can imagine so." As Harry and Ginny started to venture into the yard, a large brown owl landed on the ground next to him stopping Harry in his tracks. Harry looked down at the bird then back to Remus with a slightly puzzled face. After retrieving the letter that was tied to the owl's leg, the bird leapt off the ground and immediately took flight. Harry watched the bird fly off before returning his attention to the letter.

Harry looked at the envelope and was surprised to see that there was nothing but his name on the front. Harry turned the envelope over to see that there was an imprint of a dragon on the backside where the flap was sealed. Not sure of what he would find, Harry opened the letter and quickly scanned what was written. In a matter of seconds, Harry's eyes swept up to meet those of Remus.

"Moony, we've got to go. I'll explain when we get to The Burrow. But as soon as we get there, I need for you to assemble anyone that you can for an emergency meeting."

"Harry, what's going on?" There was no way for Remus to hide the worry that was etched in his voice.

"I can't explain everything now, but it seems that The Dursleys are going to be attacked, and this was my warning. I'll explain everything else at the Weasleys."

Without any further delay, Remus took hold of Harry and Ginny and apparated back to The Burrow.

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**AN**: Well that was fun. Any who, I hope ya'll like where this is going so far. The next chapter should be an enjoyable one. Oh yeah, none of the characters are mine as they are already claimed by Mrs. Rowling…Bummer!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

With a sudden crack, Harry, Ginny, and Remus appeared on the dirt path the lead up to The Burrow. Harry quickly grasped Ginny's hand and led her to the house while Remus disappeared once more to go and gather anyone that he could find. As Harry and Ginny entered the house, they suddenly found themselves in the motherly embrace of Mrs. Weasley.

"Welcome home you two. I was so worried that something may have happened while you two were away." Molly looked down to see that Harry's face had gone slightly pale. "Harry, what is it? Had something happened?"

"Not right now Mrs. Weasley. We need to get everyone into the kitchen before I can say anything. Remus has gone to gather some people and then I will tell everyone what is going on." Harry met Mrs. Weasley's eyes to see that they had gradually grown wider as he spoke. As Harry was talking, he didn't notice that Ron and Hermione were standing in the doorway hearing the whole exchange.

"Harry, what is it?" Harry looked over to see that Hermione had a worried expression on her face. However, before he could answer, a series of pops were heard from the kitchen and Harry knew that people had started to arise.

"Lets go to the kitchen and I will explain everything there." Harry, while still holding Ginny's hand, walked into the kitchen with the others in tow. As Harry entered, He saw that Remus was able to get Tonks, Moody, Minerva, Arthur, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Before Harry could even get to the table, questions had started flying from all over the place.

"Potter, what's going on?"

"Mr. Potter, what is the meaning of this?"

"Is everything alright Harry?"

"Wotcher Harr-"

"Ok enough!" Harry scanned the assembled crowd to see that all of them had a shocked expression on their face. Harry also saw that Minerva's lips had started to form a thin line which knew could only mean trouble. "I'm sorry for the outburst, but I promise that all your questions will be answered shortly." Harry paused to take a breath and pulled the envelope from his pocket. "While Ginny, Remus and I were visiting my home, I received this letter from a supposed unknown source."

"What do you mean 'supposed' Potter?" Harry looked over to see that Moody was giving him a suspicious glare. Leave it to Moody to be the paranoid.

"What I mean is that the letter wasn't signed. All it contained was a message for me as well as a request. Now, before you start asking more questions, let me read to you what the letter says.

_Phoenix,_

_I have reason to believe that a strong storm is headed for Surrey. I cannot give details, as the weather cannot be totally predictable. All I can say is that it will be bad and cause severe damage to those in the area. Please take necessary precautions to ensure that those there are out of harms path or the skies will only get darker. I myself am currently searching for a means to get out of this storm. Please meet me at the haunted house as soon as possible to discuss a proper course of action. I will be there continuously until you arrive._

Although this letter wasn't signed, I have reason to believe that I know who it was from." Harry looked over the crowd to see that everyone wore a puzzled expression. "Hermione, look at this envelope and tell me what you see." Harry handed Hermione the envelope and she quickly looked it over until her eyes came to rest on the picture.

"All I see is a dragon. How can you tell who it was from based on a, oh." Hermione looked back to Harry to see that he had given her a confirming nod.

"What, whose it from?" This time it was Remus' turn to speak up.

"Draco." Harry heard a collective gasp from everyone in the room before they all started to speak at once.

"I'm not finished. It is my intention to meet him and find out all he knows." Before Harry could continue, Minerva interrupted him.

"Mr. Potter, have you lost your mind? What makes you think that what he says is true? How do you know that this isn't some trap that his father has put together to get to you?" Harry could tell that his head of house was not too happy with his decision.

"Professor, I do not and will not trust Draco Malfoy. However, with the manner in which he wrote this without signature, I can only assume that it was done in secrecy without anyone else knowing. Now, as I said earlier, I plan to meet him as soon as we are through here. However, as I'm sure you have guessed, I will not be going alone. Moody will go with me to ensure that he is in fact alone before I approach the Shrieking Shack. Remus and Tonks will also be there with me in case there is trouble. Anyone else who wishes to go can do so but must stay back and provide security around the location." Harry paused to see that everyone had a look of surprise and shock on their faces.

"Mr. Potter, you must be out of your mind if you think that we will let you do this. Not only are you still in school, but this is just too dangerous a job for you, not to mention the extreme and unnecessary dangers that you could be putting yourself into." As Minerva spoke, Harry looked around to see the grim faces of those around the table. Harry also noticed that Mrs. Weasley had a look of worry on her face as she was slowly shaking her head. Harry figured that it was now or never for him to put his foot down.

"Professor, I can understand your worry, but there is something that you need to understand as well. For my entire sixth year, I worked in secret with Professor Dumbledore in trying to figure out Voldemort's secret. It was he and I who went out on the final mission for a horcrux before he was killed. Now I have no intention on stopping what he and I had started last year. When it is all said and done, this fight is ultimately between Voldemort and myself. I plan to do everything in my power to ensure his death while minimizing the deaths of others. Now, this is a warning to me that the Dursleys will be killed if I do not do something." As Harry spoke, Minerva noticed that faint crackles of electricity played through Harry's eyes. Upon seeing this, Minerva took a small step back away from the boy. "The bottom line is, I will do this with or without the help of others. Regardless of that fact, I am going to meet him and get as much information as possible. I am tired of sitting back and not doing anything as those around me are murdered. Voldemort has finally drawn his last straw and I am going to end it. I am now assuming command of The Order of the Phoenix. If there are any who object, speak now or forever remain silent. If there are those who will not follow me, then leave now and let it be known." Harry once again fell silent and cast his now electrically charge blue eyes across those assembled before him. Harry noticed that all had taken a few steps away from the table with a look of fear in their eyes as things had started to levitate and explode seemingly on their own. Harry was further surprised to feel that Ginny was still holding his hand and standing beside him.

"Harry, calm down. Please." Harry looked to Ginny who had whispered in his ear to see that she had a slightly fearful look in her eyes. Slowly, Harry's eyes changed back to their normal emerald green shade as he turned once more to the crowd.

"We're with you Harry. We've stood beside you this long, no way we're going to back down now." Harry watched as both Ron and Hermione walked back to the table. Harry sent them both a nod of gratitude and he continued to watch the group.

"You know that I'll be beside you. There's no way that I will ever leave your side." Harry felt Ginny squeeze his hand in confirmation. Harry was starting to feel doubtful as none of the adults present had yet to say anything. Harry looked over to Remus and watched as his face turned from one of fear to that of respect.

"You know Harry, your parents would be proud, and perhaps a little scared, if they were here with us today. I stood beside your father through the first war and I will be proud to stand beside you in this one. Count me in." Harry couldn't help but smile as a small tear had fallen from his eye.

"Lets finish this bastard once and for all. Potter, I'm with you." Harry turned to see that Moody had once again stepped up to the table.

"The Aurors under my command will be behind you all the way. I'm in." Harry sent Kingsley a small nod as he and Tonks both stepped back to the table.

Harry scanned around the table to take in all of the faces that were looking back at him. As Harry was looking at each one, a distinct sound was heard from his right. Mrs. Weasley was openly crying by now as her husband had placed a comforting arm around her shoulder. Just as Harry started to open his mouth to say something, Mrs. Weasley broke from Arthur's embrace and ran upstairs to her bedroom.

"I'm sorry, Harry. This is all too much for Molly to take in at the moment. You've got to understand that although she doesn't like what you are doing, she agrees that this is the way that it must be. She is just worried for everyone and it is starting to take its toll. Know that both she and I will be behind you one hundred percent. For now, I need to go check on my wife. Please excuse me." With that being said, Mr. Weasley left the group to follow where his wife had gone upstairs. Harry's gaze followed Arthur up the stairs until he was no longer visible. The clearing of a throat was heard and Harry turned to see Minerva glaring back at him. Abruptly, Minerva's eye's turned from penetrating to a more understanding gaze.

"Know this Mr. Potter. While I share Molly's assessment that this is not the best idea, I also know that this is the way things must be. I will use all of my resources to help you out in any way that I can. But please understand that things will be complicated when you and your friends return to school."

"While I know that things will be difficult, they will be no more so than they were last year. Professor Dumbledore left me with a mission of utmost importance that I will see through to the end. The details of which I will disclose once this business with Draco is finalized. Please, just give me some time I will tell everyone what is going on for those who do not know already." Harry paused to ensure that everyone was listening to what he had said. "Now, I need to get to the Whomping Willow and into the Shrieking Shack before I run out of time. I ask now that Moody, Ron, Hermione, and Kingsley go on ahead of me to ensure that Draco is in fact alone. I will wait here for the all clear before I proceed. Once word is brought back to me, Remus, Tonks, and I will apparate just outside Hogwarts grounds and go through the secret passage into the Shrieking Shack. From there, we will interrogate Draco to determine a proper course of action and meet back here when everything is done. Are there any questions?" Harry waiting patiently to see that everyone had shaken their heads to say that they know what is going on. "Very well then, you all know what to do. I'll be here." With that, Moody and Kingsley each took a teen in their arms and apparated away. All Harry could do now was wait for the all clear.

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Arthur sat in his bedroom cradling his wife while she cried into his shoulder. Arthur was at a loss of words to say that would make her feel better. He was just as scared as she was and knew the dangers that his children, both by blood and love, were putting themselves into. But Arthur also knew that they have and would continue to follow Harry in this war as long as it raged.

"I wish I knew what to say to ease your fears and pain love. I know that you are scared for them, but you also knew that it was only a matter of time before something like this would happen." Arthur just held his wife as she cried even harder.

"Oh Arthur, every time I think about it, all I can think of is Lily and James and how they were killed in the first war. I can't help but think that the same thing is going to happen to Harry and Ginny. It's killing me inside every time I think of what could happen to them." Molly managed to speak through broken sobs before she finally broke down to wailing into her husbands shoulder. Arthur was thankful that he had put silencing charms around the room; otherwise people would begin to wonder about his wife.

"I know. Those same fears have been playing through my mind. But just like Bill and Fluer, Harry and Ginny's love for each other will carry them through this war. One way or another, everything will work out for the best. All we can do is hope and pray that they will make the right choices along the way. I know with every fiber of my body that Harry will place himself before Ginny in any situation. Harry would rather die than let anything happen to our baby girl. With that in mind, I am put at ease with what is going on. My faith is in Harry and what he knows must be done to end this war." As Arthur was talking, a loud pop could be heard downstairs followed by a second series of pops. Arthur held his wife close as she once again started to cry in his shoulder. '_Please let them be safe. Harry, I trust you with my little girl. Please take good care of her._'

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It had been several minutes since Harry watched Moody and Kingsley disappear with his other two friends to check out the Shrieking Shack. Minerva had returned to Hogwarts to have to house elves set up a room for Draco in the case the he was indeed sincere with what he wrote, as well as to alert Madam Pomphrey that there may be a chance of possible wounded coming in. Harry now sat at the kitchen table with Ginny in his arms with Remus and Tonks on the other side of the table.

"Harry, do you think that Draco is telling the truth with what he said in his letter?" Remus looked to Harry to see that he was seriously thinking about this question.

"Remus, I can only hope for his sake that he is. I was up there on the tower when he had Dumbledore cornered and held at wand point. But I also saw something else in Draco that I didn't think was possible. I saw fear and hesitation. I watched as Draco talked a big talk, but when it came down to actually doing the deed, he couldn't bring himself to do it. There are many things that I think Draco Malfoy is, but I don't think that a murderer is one of them." Harry paused to look at Tonks before speaking again. "Tonks, do you have and veritaserum with you?"

Tonks jumped slightly at being addressed, but quickly got back under control. "That is one of the things I always carry with me, for times like this." Harry gave Tonks a brief nod before resuming his thought.

'_Is Draco telling the truth or is he merely trying to get me out in the open? Why would he come to me for help, and why would he warn me if muggles were about to be killed? This isn't like him to start caring all of a sudden._'

Harry was brought out of his thoughts as a loud pop was heard and Kingsley stood before them. "All's clear at the Shack. I left Moody and the other two to keep a watch out in case people decided to show up. But he told me that the boy is indeed alone and that there is no one around under any invisibility cloaks. We're ready when you are."

"Very well. Return to the Shrieking Shack and stand guard. The rest of us will be there momentarily." Harry watched as Kingsley disappeared once more with a pop. Harry turned to face Remus and received a nod to say that he was ready. Harry and Ginny rose as one and walked to the other side of the table. Once each of the teens and a firm grip on an arm, Remus and Tonks disappeared with loud cracks.

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Harry stood just outside Hogwarts grounds trying to steady himself as the spinning sensation slowly left his body. Apparating always left Harry slightly dizzy. Once Harry felt sure of himself, he quickly led the group across the grounds to where the Whomping Willow stood. Harry looked across the ground until he found a long enough stick and used it to freeze the tree enabling his group to enter the passage safely. Once the group was inside, the four drew their wands and slowly made their way down to path until it emerged in the basement of the abandoned house. Harry and the rest of his group continued through the house until they came to a set of stairs that would take them to the levels above. As Harry climbed the stairs, he started to hear footsteps pacing back and forth in the room to his right. Harry quietly brought the group to a halt until he was sure that there was only one set of feet walking around. Once Harry was sure, he and the others quickly entered the room to find a surprised Draco staring at them.

"One wrong move Draco, and that will be your last. Nod if you understand me." Draco, with still wide eyes, slowly started to nod his head. "Very well. Now, very slowly, remove your wand and place it on the table beside you." Harry watched with unblinking eyes as Draco slowly retrieved his wand from a pocket in his cloak and placed it on the table closest to him. "What you are going to do now is go and sit in that chair against the wall. From there we are going to see just how truthful you were in that letter you wrote." Harry waited while Draco slowly crossed the room and took a seat in the indicated chair. Once Draco was seated, and without warning, Tonks conjured ropes that bound the teen to the chair to prevent escape. With a nod from Harry, Remus walked over and administered three drops of the veritaserum to the boy. After a few moments, Draco's eyes had glazed over and Harry knew that the potion had taken effect.

"What is your name?" Harry decided to test the potion to see if it had truly set in.

"Draco Malfoy."

"Why didn't you sign the letter?" Harry was fairly sure of this answer, but wanted to see if he was right.

"I did sign it, however, not by name. I knew that Granger would see the Dragon and understand it to be me. I did this to try and avoid detection. There aren't many who knew that my name comes from the word '_draconis_'."

"Why could you not kill our headmaster on the tower?" Harry held his breath in anticipation of what he might here.

"Despite what people think, I am not a murderer. Cruel, yes, but I could not bring myself to kill anyone."

"What about all those years when you threatened and harassed me and my friends. Surely you would have done something if you could have."

"There is nothing more between us but house rivalry. I agree though that many of my friends would have, but I always made excuses to stop them. My family name used to be one of respect throughout the wizarding world. But now it is only one of greed and fear. It is my goal to bring respect back to the name Malfoy. My father has gone on long enough dragging our name through the mud. I wish to put an end to it."

"Is that why you warned me about the Dursleys?"

"Yes, and no. Although I wish to prevent the killing, that is not the only reason why. I have come to know that your muggle relatives somehow protect you, although I do not know how. All I know is that if they are killed, you will be vulnerable to attack. The Dark Lord fears you and is willing to do anything to weaken you. I have also warned you because I know that they are the only family that you have left. Although my biological parents are alive, to me they are dead. I know what it is like to be totally alone in the world and am willing to prevent that for you. Even though we have always been enemies, this is one thing that I would not allow to happen." Harry was taken back by what Draco said and had to take a steadying breath before he could continue. Ginny, having witnessed Harry's reaction had moved over to take his hand in silent comfort and offer him strength. After a few moments, Harry was able to resume his questioning.

"How many Death Eaters had been ordered for this strike?"

"Two, Severus Snape and myself. I was ordered to do this so that I may regain standing with the Dark Lord. As soon as I found out, I wrote the letter in hopes that you would meet with me. This is what my father calls my task in order to receive my Dark Mark."

"So you have not yet been given the Mark?" Harry was surprised at this bit of information.

"No."

"What would you had done had I decided not to meet you?"

"I would have disappeared never to be seen from of heard from again. Even now, I may still do that after this meeting." For some reason, Harry starting to feel slight pity for the person sitting in front of him. It was not like Draco to just run and hide from anything. But there again, if it is his only means to survive, he would probably do just that.

"There will be no running Draco. You will do as you have been ordered, but there will be a few differences. After this attack, your parents will not only be dead to you, but you will be dead to them. Here is what you will do." Harry proceeded into and intricate plan of how the order will meet the Death Eaters in their attack and what Draco will do. As Harry was talking, he noticed that a small tear had fallen from Draco's eye. Harry looked around to see that Remus and Tonks were continuously gazing around the room and out the door and had not witnessed this minor show of emotion.

"Draco, are you still under the effect of the potion?" Harry looked into Draco's eyes to see that they no longer had a glazed look to them.

"No. Are you satisfied with my answers?" Harry looked into Draco's eyes before responding.

"Yes. Do you remember my instructions to you?" Draco nodded once saying that he understood what he was to do. "Alright. We'll meet again in two days time." With that, Draco disapparated back to Malfoy Manor leaving the others in the Shrieking Shack.

"Harry, are you sure this will work?" Harry turned to see that Remus was talking to him.

"No, not really. But for some reason I trust Draco. That is all that I can count on right now. I need to go up to the school and talk to Professor McGonagall before we return to The Burrow." Harry watched as both Remus and Tonks gave him a nod of understanding. "Remus, you and Tonks go downstairs and let the others know that we are done here and that Ginny and I will be back shortly." Harry watched as the two adults disappeared with a pop before turning to go back downstairs.

As Harry and Ginny cleared the Whomping Willow and started up the grounds, Ginny turned to look at Harry. "Harry, are you absolutely sure that this will work? I know you said that you trust Draco, but what if something goes wrong?"

Harry squeezed Ginny's hand in a reassuring manner before responding to her question. "If things go wrong, then all hell will break loose because I will be holding nothing back. But don't worry about that. Everything will work out."

Harry and Ginny found Minerva in her office and proceeded to tell her of the plan that Harry had worked out. Although she was as uneasy with it as the others, she reluctantly agreed and proceeded to do all that she could to ensure success.

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Draco arrived in the lounge of Malfoy Manor on the morning of the planned attack. When he entered the room, Draco found his father and Severus in deep conversation, so he decided not to interrupt. As the two men finished talking, Lucius turned to face his son.

"Draco, are you ready to embrace the future?" Draco could see a small sneer playing across his father's mouth. Draco averted his eyes to Severus and received and brief nod before he answered.

"Yes father, I am."

"Very well then. I shall wait here until I hear the news." With that, Draco and Severus disappeared with two pops leaving Lucius to collect his own thoughts.

'_If that boy fails again, he will not live long enough to regret it. I just fear to consequences against myself should he fail._'

Lucius waited a few moments before disappearing himself to meet with awaiting friends. Avery, Nott, and himself had been secretly assigned to follow his son under invisibility cloaks incase things went wrong.

As the three men took up their posts across the street, they were surprised to hear yells coming from the house.

"You! You will pay for this!"

Lucius looked up just in time to see Severus diving into the house as his son ran up the stairs. '_Very good. Go for the kill and get out._'

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**AN**: Well, four down and I am not sure how many more to go. Any who, I don't own anything that you may read, minus the plot. Thanks for the reviews and please keep them coming. It's the critiques that help me with my writing. Until next update…Later!


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